Heesu Lee

South Korea’s central bank is widely expected to keep its policy rate unchanged this week, with investors watching for signs policymakers are formally shifting to a hawkish stance as inflation risks intensify and growth proves more resilient than expected.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un supervised tests of a slew of newly developed missile and artillery systems, state media reported, in the latest sign Pyongyang is advancing both its conventional and nuclear strike capabilities.

South Korea said an investigation into an attack earlier this month on a cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz found the projectiles were likely Iranian-made anti-ship missiles.

South Korea’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged Thursday, maintaining a cautious stance as policymakers weighed rising inflation pressure from higher oil prices against uncertainty surrounding the broader economic outlook.

South Korea’s exports extended their strong run in May, reinforcing the central bank’s increasingly hawkish stance as booming semiconductor demand continues to underpin growth despite rising geopolitical and inflation risks.

The European Central Bank can no longer look through the inflationary impact of the war in Iran as price pressures spread beyond energy and the risk of unanchored inflation expectations rises, according to Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel.

Hanwha Aerospace Co. confirmed that an explosion occurred at its facility in Daejeon in central South Korea on Monday, as emergency authorities responded to reports of a blast and heavy smoke at the site.

Die Europäische Zentralbank kann die inflationären Folgen des Kriegs im Iran nach Einschätzung von Direktoriumsmitglied Isabel Schnabel nicht länger ausblenden, da sich der Preisdruck über den Energiesektor hinaus ausweitet und das Risiko steigender Inflationserwartungen zunimmt.

South Korea’s consumer inflation accelerated to the fastest pace in more than two years, reinforcing the central bank’s tilt toward higher interest rates as the impact from the Middle East conflict ripples across the economy.

An explosion at Hanwha Aerospace Co.’s manufacturing facility in South Korea on Monday killed five employees, prompting President Lee Jae Myung to order a full investigation.